Bombproof building structure



Sept. 29, 1953 w. RowLEs 2,653,458

y BOMBPROOF BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 51. 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l "A TTC/9 IVEV Sept. 29, 1953 w. RowLEs BOMBPROOF BUILDING STRUCTURE 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. 51, 1949 JNVENToR.

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Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT -oFFIcE 2,653,453 loiviBP-RoorisUILDlNf sRUc'rUnn William .Rmles SaniaMonic Calif# Apploationpecemberl, 1949, Serial` No.11`36i2-56 (C1. .ias-11) 3 Claims.,

This invention relates rtoibuilding structures particularly for residential purposes, 4.and Khas as its general object to .provide for abuilding structure-protection againstaerial bombs.

In general, the invention contemplates -a dis.- appearing building in combination with Ia bomb shelter in the nature of alhousing adapted to receive the building, together .with means for elevating the building from .a position protected within the housing to a position above ground and projected out of the housing. A specific object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in which the 'building itself maybe of `generally conventional structure, with a conventional shingle or asphalt paper roof, providing conventional .appearance and heat insulating properties when the -building is above ground. To this end, the invention contemplates `a bomb proof cover for the housing, 4including cover members v:adapted to be `rnoved horizontally to positions either covering-the shelter housing or retracted so as to allow the Lbuilding to be raised out of the housing. In this respect, the invention utilizes a pair of cover sections, roller mounted upon -rails extending longitudinally along therespective sides of the housing, at the upper extremity thereof.

Another object is to provide a shelter housing structure provided with conveniently arranged power operated means for moving the cover members.

Another object is Vto provide for maintaining conventional Vutility services in the building in each of its respective positions, i. e., its normal position above `groiinclanc'l `its alternative `plosition stored below ground within the shelter. In particular, the vinvention aims to provide utility service` connections that will accommodate the vertical movement of the building between these two positions, with maximum facility. In this respect, the invention aims to avoid the necessity for making adjustments in the utility yconnections in order to adapt the same to the vertical movement of the building.

The invention Af urther'deals with the problem of properly Ventilating the building when it is in its `lowered position, and taking care of the disposal of Ysewage and any water that may enter the shelter housing during rains, snows, etc.

The-invention further aims to provide anarrangement whichwill afford maximum accessibility to the .various utility connections and 4'the accessory apparatus which adaptsthese connections to operations \both inthe .raised and lowered positions .of the fbuilding.

JOtherobjects will becomeapparent in the ensuing specifications and' appended drawings in which:

Eig. lisa plan view `of .a building and shelter structure embodying .the invention, with the parts inthe normal, raised position;

Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same;

llig. V3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the building inthe lowered, protected position;

Fig. .4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6 4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 15-.5 Aof Fig. 3.

As an .example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, I have shown in the drawings a combined building and shelter structureembodying a .building l0, supported upon a hydraulic .elevator unit which is indicated generallyat H, vand a shelter housing structure indicated generally at I2.

The housing Astructure l-2, which is preferably of .reinforced concrete, includes a floor slab i3, upright side Walls i4 and l5, end walls I6 and l1, and 'vertical wall structures I8 and I9 cooperating with endwalls 'I 6 and l1 to define respectively a, stair welll.) and a utility room 2l. Stairs 28 extend, Withinstair well 20, from the surface of theground down to the yfloor 29. of the stair well. Floor.29 is .n a level .with the floor of building l0 so as to vprovide alevel approach to the building through the door way 23'.

.The walls .15,16 and. H cooperate to define a main central vroom.22, which receives the building I0 when the latter is lowered for protection against air raids. A door Way 23 in wall I6 pro- Vides access to room,22 from stair well 20. Room 22 .communicates also with utility room .2| through an opening 24, .so that an occupant may pass back-and forth l.directly between the building I.,zin .its lowered position, andthe utility room, rat v.any time, forservicing of the apparatus 1in the utility room Y2| as required.v The stair .well..-2.0 is provided with a cover 25 of tough metal plate, hingedat f2 to wall I8 and having a handle2l by means of which it may be raised so rasfto uncover the .stair .well at vthe upper end of `.stairs 28. External access to utility room 2i (for `use particularly .when :the building is in its normal, raised position) is .provided by a manholel ,suitably-defined by ra tubular wall structure extending from the roof Wall 32 of utility room 2l up `tolthe surface of the ground. 'The upper end o f manhole-331 is normally closed-by amanrhole .cover 33j The ground in which the accadere 3 housing structure is embedded is indicated at 3d.

The hydraulic elevator unit il includes a cylinder 35 which is accommodated in a well 3@ extending downwardly from the central region of floor i3. The base of cylinder 35 rests upon a footing 31 constituting the bottom of well 36. The elevator includes also a piston 3d on the upper end of which is mounted a head 39 which supports the building Iii through suitable transverse and longitudinal door joists it and ii respectively, the joists d being supported directly on head 39, and the joists i (with the exception of the central one) being supported by joists lid, with any suitable means -connecting them.

When received within the housing l2, the building l is protected from above by a pair of cover slabs Q2, preferably of reinforced concrete construction and suniciently thick to avoid penetration or destruction by aerial bombs. Because they must necessarily be quite heavy, the slabs 122 are preferably constructed in relatively narrow transversely extending sections as indicated, with appropriate ties i3 connecting the sections together. The ties i3 may be located at the ends of the sections so as to be readily accessible, and may be bolted or otherwise secured to the sections so as to provide for disconnecting the sections without difficulty. Such sectional structure facilitates construction of the slabs and also acilitates repair in the event of damage.

The cover slabs @l2 are roller supported for movement away from each other longitudinally of the shelter structure, so as to uncover the room 22 and allow the building l@ to be projected upwardly therefrom. The retracted positions of the cover slabs are indicated in broken lines in Fig. 5. This rolling support means cornprises anged rollers .'55 suitably journalled upon the under sides of slabs Q2 through suitable means such as angle irons d having depending flanges carrying the roller journals. 1lhe rollers @E rest and travel upon rails li which, in order to best support the weight of the slabs d2, are mounted directly on top of the walls l and l5. To suitably enclose and protect the rails l and rollers :i5 against the weather, the walls lli and i5 are preferably continued upwardly in the forni of flanges i8 offset outwardly from the main body portions of the walls I4 and l5. Cover slabs 'i2 project laterally outwardly over rollers and over iianges et, and may be provided at their lateral extremities with depending skirts t9 overlapping anges i8 so as to provide protection of the housing structure against the entrance of rain, sleet and snow.

lThe cover slabs i2 are moved by means of hydraulic servo-motors 5t disposed adjacent the respective walls Ill and i5, each having an outer end pivotally connected as at 5i to a respective wall and each having a piston 52 connected through a piston rod 53 extending from its other end, and through a pivot 55 at the external end of rod 53, to the under side of a respective slab d2. Servo-motors 5S each have rluid connections 5S and 5l at their respective ends, through which they may be actuated by an air or hydraulic liquid delivered to them from a motor driven compressor or hydraulic pump 3o under the control of a three-way valve 53. In a neutral position of valve 58, flow f operating fiuid is out oli. In one of its operative positions, valve B directs flow to the outer ends of the respective servo-motors 5i! so as to force pistons 52 outwardly and thereby retract slabs i2 to their open positions indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 and in 4 dotted lines in Fig. 2. In the other operative position of valve 53 it will direct fluid to the inner ends of servo-motors 5t to actuate pistons 52 and move slabs t2 back to their closed positions shown in iull lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

At this point it may be noted that the invention provides an arrangement in which cover slabs l2 may be moved beneath the building l@ in the normal, raised position of the latter, so as to be largely concealed under the building, and so as to leave the stair well 2 and the manhole 3! accessible at the surface oi the ground. To this end, slabs S2 are provided with semicircular notches 59 in their meeting edges, which notches cooperatively deine a circular opening in the center of the area covered by the slabs in their closed positions. This opening accommodates the head 39 of the hydraulic elevator, by means of which the support of the elevator is transmitted upwardly through the closure defined by the closed slabs, to the building supporting joists it and lil. After raising the building above the cover slabs and moving the slabs beneath the building, the building may be lowered upon the slabs, the slabs then serving as the foundation of the building.

The servo-motors t are disposed adjacent the side walls of the housing so that the building may move past them in its vertical movements.

The hydraulic compressor 5? functions not only to actuate slab-operating servo-motors 5d but also to actuate hydraulic elevator I I through suitable connections which are indicated at 69 in Fig. 2 and which may be controlled by a valve ti.

|Ihe chimney it of building iii is located centrally of the roof thereof so as to be directly beneath opening di) when the building is enclosed within the shelter housing structure. A vent 62, connected to the plumbing system of the building for the purpose of carrying away noxious gases in accordance with standard plumbing practice, has a discharge end which likewise emerges from the roof of the building at a point substantially beneath opening 5e, so that the gases discharged therefrom may pass directly upwardly through the opening 59 and into the outer atmosphere.

Connections between the building ld and the various utilities such as electric power supply, gas, water and sewer, are all made through elevator head 3d. Sewer connections from bathroom, kitchen, etc., are joined to an outlet 83 extending downwardly through the head te from the building and connected to a tube 53. Tube extends laterally from the bottom of the head Se and is coupled, for swivelling action, to an elbow fili. From elbow 513 a pipe section 65 extends to a point beneath an end or" the building adjacent stair well 2t, where it is coupled, through a swivel coupling 66, to a pipe section di that extends in the opposite direction. The pipe section di may extend beneath a majority ci the length of the building l5 and terminates at an elbow @ii which is coupled, for swivelling action, to a fitting extending transversely. Fitting te is attached to door I3 by a suitable standard or bracket iii. From iitting te a pipe section il, elbow 'i2 and pipe section "i3 carry the sewer line to a point where it discharges into a sump 7G in service room 2i. Sump 'Hi communicates with service room 2| through a manhole i5 which is normally covered by a cover 15.

Sump 'i4 is vented to atmosphere through a.

pipe line Ti generally paralleling pipe line 'l l-l3,

atteste plpe stair well 20, anfelbwfaid'a "tube 83 to which elbow?` is coupled withwaswiveling conplingj, tube 8.3 extencinainig .deteriorated 39 ande-Bmg Connected@ Stack 5.2.;Wiihi'n the building "il by a connection 8:2 extending upwardly Athrbugh head 39.

Water is brought-into the building .ff-rom `anexternal service line 85, projecting into manhole 3l, to a valve 86 corresponding to the customary external shut oi valve, a pipe line 8l extending downwardly through manhole 3l into service room 2l, thence into room 22 beneath the adjacent end of the building, and thence laterally to a swivel joint 88 corresponding to swivel joints '18, 68, 69, a pipe section 89 extending beneath the building I from swivel joint 88 to a swivel joint 90 adjacent the stair well, a pipe section QI extending from swivel joint 98 back to an elbow 92, a tube 93 to the outer end of which elbow 92 is attached with a swivel connection, said tube 93 extending laterally to elevator head 39, and a connection Se extending upwardly into the building from tube 93 through head 39.

Similarly, gas is brought into the building from a gas main 35 through a valve 96 located in manhole 3I, thence through a pipe line paralleling the pipe line BTI-Sid and referred to generally by the reference numeral 9T, said pipe line including swivel joints 93, 99 and |80 and a connection IiiI extending upwardly through elevator head 39 into the building.

In a similar manner, electric current is brought into the building from an underground.

electric cable M32 through an electric conduit paralleling the water and gas lines just described, said conduit being referred to generally by the numeral 53 and including swivel joints IM, It and It.

It may now be noted that the various utility lines above described each include pipe sections pivoted together for knee-action or jackknii'lng movements to accommodate the vertical movements of building I while maintaining the service connections thereto. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the movement of these jack-kning pipe line sections from the folded positions of Fig. 2 to the opened or extended positions of Fig. 3 will be clearly apparent.

Sewage carried from the building through sewer line 84-13 is discharged into sump 14, from which it is pumped by a sump pump |08 into a pipe line |09 which extends upwardly into manhole 3I and there connects with the ground sewer line II 0.

The sump 'I4 and pump |08 make it possible for the sewer system to function when the building is lowered, with its sewer connections below the level of the ground sewer line I I0. Also, they function to discharge into ground sewer line IIO any water that may collect in the shelter housing.

Thus, even though Water should gain entrance to the housing through stair well 20, it will drain into the sump 14 and thence be discharged into the sewer line. To this end, the floor of the housing will be provided with a drainage slope toward the sump 14, and the top of the sump will have a suitable drain opening (not shown) to drain such water into the sump.

For Ventilating and air conditioning the building I0 while it is enclosed within the shelter housing, I provide an air conditioning unit II I Building lI-'Il is vguided inits vertic movements by flanged rollers I I3 travellingjonfverticalftracks llltattach'edto'end walls I6 and I1 respectively.

Instead of 'the 'jack-'kning type fpipe line sewer connections described above, the connections between the elevator'head 3`9"a`ndthe swivel jointsf, 18, 88, 98 and '|04 may be allor par- Ttiallyor aftelescopingtype.

'Insteadjcfthe hydraulic se' for the -`cover wsla-bs 42e, -it v'is winch and cable actuators.

The cover slabs may be lead lined or otherwise insulated with lead to protect the shelter yagainst the effect of rays from atomic bombs. Instead of the single elevator unit I I, the invention may utilize a plurality of hoists preferably in an arrangement in which there is one located at each corner of the building.

In addition to the external power source, the invention contemplates the possibility of utilizing an individual power plant, located in the utility room for use in the event of failure of the external power source. Such power plant would of course be of the conventional type utilizing a gasoline engine driven generator.

I claim:

l. In a bomb-proof housing structure: an opentop housing defining a pit adapted to contain a building; said housing having opposed parallel side walls; parallel horizontal tracks on said side walls; a pair of bomb-proof cover slabs having roller supports travelling on said tracks in a common horizontal plane, between inner limit positions in which said slabs meet at the transverse median vertical plane of the housing to close the top of said pit, and retracted positions separated so as to uncover said pit to allow a building to be elevated or lowered past said slabs; building elevating means having a vertically movable part, and building support means mounted on the upper end of said part; said elevating means being operable to elevate a building to a position above the plane of the to-p surface of sai-d slabs whereby the latter may be brought together beneath the raised building and provide a supporting base therefor; said elevating means being operable to lower the building into said pit when said slabs are retracted, to a position in which said slabs may again be brought together above said building said slabs having adjacent ends provided with mating indentations cooperatively dening an opening coaxial with said vertically movable part when said slabs are brought together.

2. A housing structure as dened in claim 1, wherein said elevating means comprises a hydraulic jack, said vertically movable part forming a piston of said jack and having `a, head thereon disposed centrally beneath said building support means, a building resting on said support means and a series of service connections between said building and a series of underground utilities, said service connections passing through said head and including articulated rigid tube members movably connected between said head and the bottom of said housing structure, said articulated tube members being adapted to shift to accommodate the vertical movements of said building while maintaining said service connections.

3. A housing structure as defined in claim 2, wherein said articulated rigid tube members include pairs of jack-kning tube sections pivoted motor factuators ypossible Cto iu'tilize 7 8 .to each other;V each baitof tube sections includ- Number Name l Date ing a tube section pivoted to said heed and tube 1,584,294 Heise May 11, 1926 section pivoted to a utility connection xed in 2,116,370 Watkins May 3, 1938 said housing bottom. 2,189,486 DAmico Feb. 6, 1940 References Cited in the file of this patent Number Country Date UNITED STATES PATENTS 434,015 France of 1912 Number Name Date 526,019 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1939 1,343,794 Sevczov June 15, 1920 10 OTHER REFERENCES 1,353,798 Stevens Sept. 21, 1920 1,480,248 Dunbar Jan 8, 1924 New York Post, page 5, Sept- 4, 1945. 

